Upwardly mobile Lope De Vega to stand for career-high price in 2019

Lope De Vega will stand for a new career high fee of €80,000 at Ballylinch Stud next year after his two-year-olds continued to advertise his talents during 2018.

The Chad Brown-trained Newspaperofrecord posted a brilliant six and three quarter length victory in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs on Friday, which came after the sire's Phoenix Of Spain finished second in the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster.

Lope De Vega, a grandson of the late Giant's Causeway who has sired 50 stakes winners including seven Group 1 winners, was responsible for a total of 26 northern hemisphere juvenile scorers in 2018.

Lope De Vega: fee continues to rise

His fee has now increased for each of the previous five years, having started at €15,000 and reaching a low of €12,500 in his third and fourth breeding seasons.

Lope De Vega will be joined once again at Ballylinch by New Bay, whose first foals are set to go through the ring later this year. The Prix du Jockey Club-winning son of Dubawi will stand for a fee of €15,000, down from €20,000 in his first two seasons.

Fellow French Classic winner Make Believe has also had his 2019 fee clipped to €12,000, having stood for €15,000 this year. His yearlings sold for as much as 210,000 guineas in the previous months, with buyers including Shadwell Estate, Sackville Donald, Mark Johnston, Hugo Merry, Nick Bradley and Mick Flanagan.

Like New Bay, Fascinating Rock's first foals will be offered this year and the dual Group 1 winner will stand for €7,500 in 2019, down from €10,000 in his first two seasons.

Dream Ahead's Dark Vision strides to success in the Vintage Stakes at Glorious GoodwoodCredit: Edward Whitaker

Dual purpose sire Beat Hollow, meanwhile, will stand at €5,000 in 2019, having been offered at €6,000 since 2015, while Haras de Grandcamp will continue to stand Dream Ahead, who will be joined by Lawman for the season. Dream Ahead will remain at the same fee of €12,000 after siring juvenile star Dark Vision.

Lawman will stand for an unchanged €15,000 during his maiden year in France.

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